Alongside the clear star power of Debbie Harry, David Byrne, Richard Hell and many others in the class of 77, Steve Forbert ­-- then touted as "the new James Taylor" ­-- had to be considered the boy least likely.Yet as the years passed, the baby-faced country rocker who didn't fit in with new wave or punk crowd has seen his once-celebrated contemporaries burn out or fade away as he strummed into the 21st century.

Apart from the momentary flash of Romeo's Tune, there hasn't been much chart action, but modest record sales never seemed to be a great concern. At least it didn't cause Forbert to start chasing trends or even try changing his haircut.

He simply presses on, refining his songcraft and peeling back a little more of the artifice with each new recording. Last year's Jim Dickinson-produced Evergreen Boy (KOCH) album ­-- with its hoarsely whispered confessions set to a funky Memphis backbeat ­-- is probably his best work ever.

Fortunately, Forbert hung in long enough to see his brand of American roots music finally get some overdue recognition with the arrival of Americana radio and magazines like No Depression and Mojo.

For those playing catch-up, he's putting out Young Guitar Days, a 20-track compilation of session outtakes from his first four albums. It drops in March.

"I haven't been very chameleon-like," deadpans Forbert over the phone from his Nashville home. "My tastes lean toward the basics of country, blues and Sun-style rock and roll, and those are the sounds I've always tried to capture in my own music.

"And my albums have been pretty consistent. I never went to Berlin to try cutting a record with Brian Eno while drying out. I have to say I really don't feel that far removed from anything on the compilation. Some people might find that boring, while others might say I'm being true to my code, but to me it's all about American music."

Since Forbert's in charge of the archival search, any genuinely bizarre throwaways encountered during the dig will probably remain buried. Don't count on hearing any embarrassing forays into synth-pop twittery or ill-advised attempts at cashing in on the rapping craze as MC Jackrabbit Slim. But Forbert is promising a few unexpected treats.

"I found a couple of interesting recordings that I'd completely forgotten about. They're some different things we did in the studio, like a version of Merle Haggard's Mama Tried and Hank Williams's Window Shopping.

"So there are some surprises, but I'm not throwing any curve balls. There won't be anything that sounds antiquated either. All my recordings were done live in the studio. When you have the musicians there, if anyone tries anything tacky or trendy they're going to get some looks from the other players, and it's not gonna fly.

"I'm pretty happy with all the material. In fact, I'll probably start doing a lot of these songs on tour. It's gonna be great to get up to Canada and be on my own for three or four days. That kind of solitude can really do a songwriter good ­-- especially one with three kids." timp@nowtoronto.comSTEVE FORBERT with ANDY STOCHANSKY, at Ted's Wrecking Yard (549 College), Wednesday (January 17), 8 pm. $15. 928-50122000 Evergreen Boy (KOCH)